Devour the shadow
Necromancy Level: DW 9, Sor/Wiz 9 Components: V, S, M Casting Time: See text Range: Touch Target: One target touched Duration: Permanent Saving Throw: Will partial Spell Resistance: Yes The drow believe that one's shadow is the gateway to his soul and the only true anchor to the mortal world. By destroying the shadow, the drow believe they can destroy the victim’s vitality and his will to live. With the casting of this spell, the caster can tear away the victim’s shadow like tissue paper, absorbing his essence into themselves and liquidating his personality. The moment this spell is cast, the victim must attempt a Will save. If the save succeeds, the victim suffers 1d4 points of temporary Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma damage. If the save is failed, the victim suffers 1d4 points of permanent Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma drain, and his shadow is completely obliterated. A being whose shadow has been obliterated immediately ages one age category, with his body ageing to the exact midpoint of the next category. He suffers penalties to his physical and mental abilities as appropriate, but does not gain the commensurate benefits, if any. At the same moment, the caster is filled with a surge of energy and youthful vitality; the length of his current age category is extended by the number of years the victim aged. The caster can never more than quadruple the length of any age category by means of this spell, meaning that while the victim ages as normal, he will no longer benefit from the casting. In order to cast this spell, the caster must first gather a score of objects which are considered important to the prospective victim. Appropriate objects might include a dagger which the victim always carries, a favourite piece of art or clothing or a love letter from an old paramour. Once these objects are gathered, they must be systematically destroyed, their essences burned away on a pyre of white hot flame. Afterwards, the ashes from the pyre must be gathered and mixed with precious oils, rare herbs and the fresh blood of a doppleganger or other being capable of natural shape shifting. This mixture costs 200 gold pieces per character level or Hit Dice of the victim, and must be stored in a cool environment for one full week, in order to ‘ripen’ into potency. The actual casting of the spell, once the preparations are complete, is done in two stages. The first requires an hour of concentrated, undisturbed work, during which the caster must perform an elaborate series of chants and calculations. Once this first stage is complete, the spell is primed for final casting. From this point, the spell can be cast with a standard action, so long as the caster is within 100 feet + 10 feet per level of the intended target. Devour shadow is one of, if not the, most feared spells the drow have developed. It is used frequently by dark weavers to crush the ambitions of those drow who hunger for power but lack the capability to use it wisely in the advancement of the race as a whole. Devour shadow is a more powerful, though less versatile version of one of the infamous drow black ceremonies. Material Components: See text, plus a small, lit candle, which is snuffed at the moment of casting. Category:Necromancy spells Category:9th level sorcerer and wizard spells Category:Drow spells